


Endure

by bluehat



Category: Persona 5
Genre: A little, AU where P5 doesn't treat ryuji like shit, Canon Rewrite, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Swearing, basically just a rewrite of ryuji's rank 8 confidant, gratuitous use of canon dialogue until the end, using the name Akira Kurusu for the protag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-25
Updated: 2018-07-25
Packaged: 2019-06-16 07:46:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15432324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluehat/pseuds/bluehat
Summary: Rewrite/fix-it of Ryuji's 8th confidant event, where Akira doesn't just stand by while his best friend gets beaten up.





	Endure

**Author's Note:**

> i don't think i was the only one frustrated by the fact that this game decided to try and make me laugh by beating up a character whose background includes a lot of physical abuse... thanks persona 5, way to come full circle on that one. 
> 
> honestly the way ryuji's character arc in general is treated frustrates me a lot, but i love my boy, so i wrote this.

It was hard not to reflect on how far the two of them had come together, standing in the side courtyard of the school. Akira and his best friend had gone from being the delinquents of the school to internationally famous vigilantes—not that anyone knew it, but there was still something to be said about the way that it felt. The two of them, and the rest of the Phantom Thieves, had shown the world that kids who the world rejected didn’t just have to crash and burn like they were expected to. Together, they were stronger than Akira could ever have imagined.

Akira was proud of Ryuji for finding a way to destabilize Yamauchi’s reign over the track team without having to take the drastic measures they’d taken with Kamoshida. Of course, Yamauchi was nowhere near the level that the self-proclaimed king of the school had been, either in power or maliciousness, but it was still despicable to be taking advantage of teenagers for his own gain. Shujin really needed to reconsider its hiring policies, taking into account how many snakes there were hiding amongst its faculty.

However, even though they both enjoyed their status as Phantom Thieves, it was nice sometimes to have the satisfaction of solving a problem through purely ordinary means. Tracking Yamauchi down, recording his conversation at the monja shop… these were all Ryuji’s ideas, which impressed upon Akira once more that Ryuji actually had a lot more intelligence than most people, particularly Morgana, would admit. Ryuji was never going to win any academic awards, but he showed his sharp mind in other ways, and his loyalty was nothing to be overlooked.

When Ryuji had asked him if he minded being backup to play the tape for Nakaoka and Takeishi, Akira had almost laughed. How many times had Ryuji had his back in battle, helping and protecting him? Of course he could stick around after school. It was strange to consider Phantom Thief business in the same light as the real world, but his bond with his friends was deepened not only through the time they spent together at Shujin or hanging around at Leblanc, but also through the hours they’d spent slogging through Mementos or fighting Shadows.

Ryuji had always had his back, and of course Akira would do the same. He was surprised Ryuji had even asked, but he supposed that before Akira had transferred to this school, Ryuji hadn’t had anyone to spend time with or confide in. Even before his own criminal record, Akira had never had many friends around his own school, but Ryuji had seemed to have almost no one. Although Kamoshida’s behavior had had more drastic effects on students like Suzui, Akira could never forget the way Ryuji had suffered. People assumed Ryuji was a punk just by looking at him, and sure, maybe it was a little true… but Ryuji was a truly good guy, to the bone. Although Ryuji had claimed he dyed his hair blond because it looked “badass,” Ann had told him that she thought he had done it to make her stand out a little less—a gesture for which she was deeply grateful.

As they waited for Takeishi and Nakaoka to appear, and Akira couldn’t help tensing up a little bit. Although the two of them were only their classmates, there would likely be a hostile energy to this meeting like there had been to all the others. He didn’t understand how some of Ryuji’s former teammates could be so callous towards someone they used to run alongside. When Ryuji talked about his time on the team, he had expressed affection for those who had shared in the training and had suffered together under Kamoshida. Although Ryuji’s actions had caused the team to be disbanded, Akira could not fully comprehend why all of them had decided Ryuji was the villain for standing up against a teacher who manipulated and abused him. Sure, they might not have fully understood the situation, but surely, they couldn’t have looked at Ryuji’s broken leg and ruined track career and thought that he had earned what was coming to him.

But yet, in spite of the way they’d treated him, Ryuji hadn’t wanted Yamauchi’s deception to hurt the team he’d once loved. Even after they’d rejected him again and again, he kept trying to help them. Akira respected his best friend for this determination, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel that they didn’t deserve Ryuji’s help. But he supposed that helping people, even ones who might not necessarily deserve it, was what they were trying to do as the Phantom Thieves. They were just trying to save kids who didn’t have the power to save themselves.

As these thoughts flicked through Akira’s mind, he saw Takeishi approaching the two of them, wearing his track uniform and a blue sweatband.

“What do you want, Sakamoto?” asked Takeishi angrily. Around the corner came their second arrival, Nakaoka.

“…Takeishi?” started Nakaoka in surprise.

“Nakaoka? W-what the hell!? Are you guys gonna gang up on me!?” exclaimed Takeishi nervously. Akira almost wished that _was_ the plan.

“Dude, chill. I just wanna talk,” said Ryuji calmly. Akira was impressed with his friend’s calm countenance—although Akira himself was a master of the poker face, Ryuji was usually pretty bad at keeping his emotions at a distance. However, here was proof again of his internal strength that was so rarely appreciated.

“Listen. This here is what’s really going on with the track team,” continued Ryuji, and began to play the recording of Yamauchi going on and on about exploiting the team’s tragedies for his own game, and his plans to use Takeishi as his pawn against the others.

“This has to be a joke…” murmured Takeishi, shaking his head. “Yamauchi said he’d make me the captain…” Although Akira felt very little pity for the boy in front of him, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness at how defeated he looked. Even though the boys in front of him had been cruel, they still had been manipulated by yet another terrible coach.

“Is this real…?” said Nakaoka softly.

Ryuji scoffed quietly. “It’s Yamauchi’s voice, ain’t it? And on top of that, shit’s gone down just like he said.”

Takeishi and Nakaoka were quiet for a moment, both looking at the ground. Finally, Takeishi spoke. “Yamauchi’s right. I don’t have talent… I’m not like you guys. I ran so damn hard, but you two were always so far ahead. How’s a guy like me supposed to succeed? How am I supposed to be proud of myself!?”

Although he was a pitiful sight, Akira still felt an anger simmering in the back of his chest. This boy had been given a chance to continue with a sport that had been ripped away from Ryuji, the one who had had a true talent. Instead of whining about his skills, he should keep training, the way that Ryuji was in spite of his devastating injury.

“Proud…?” said Ryuji quietly.

“My dad always talks about how proud he is of his son… He told everyone I’d get a track scholarship like he did… That I’d follow in his footsteps as a second-generation Taisei grad… That’s why I listened to Yamauchi. He said if I was the captain, he’d write me a great letter of rec…” Takeishi spoke quickly, as if to defend himself, but Akira was getting more frustrated by the word. So this guy thought his father would be proud of him if he betrayed his friends to get to the top?

Akira was satisfied to see Ryuji’s face get a little twisted with irritation as well. “…So you trusted what he was sayin’ about Nakaoka ’cause of stupid crap like that?”

Takeishi bristled. “Sh-Shut up! What does a thug like you know!? You couldn’t know how I feel… Nobody does!”

Akira opened his mouth, ready to defend his friend, but Ryuji didn’t need his help. “Like hell I don’t know! How long were we runnin’ together, huh!? I went through all sorts of shit with you!”

Takeishi looked at least slightly ashamed of himself. “Sakamoto…”

“Who’re you livin’ your life for? Your parents? Teachers? Society? Maybe you should stop tryin’ to live for them, and just try livin’ for yourself.”

Akira knew that for Ryuji, and most of the Phantom Thieves, they had already experienced the feeling of being let down by those they were supposed to trust. Ryuji’s father’s and Kamoshida’s abuse, the way society treated him like a criminal just because of his slightly reckless demeanor and unusual appearance… They all, but Ryuji especially, had learned to be more independent than most kids their age.

“You think you gotta betray people to be proud?” demanded Ryuji. Akira knew that Ryuji would never even consider leaving one of their friends behind or treating them badly, but he was still trying to advise someone who had done the same to him.

“W-Well, I…” muttered Takeishi.

“If that’s seriously what you think, you’re wrong!” said Ryuji, getting a little louder, but then he took a deep breath. “Nakaoka. You knew something was up with Yamauchi too, didn’t you? I mean, the bastard’s never been interested in track before.”

Nakaoka looked even more determinedly at his feet.

“But you kept quiet. You knew he was walkin’ all over you, and you just let him do it.” There was a strange tone to Ryuji’s voice now, not quite anger. Akira wondered if Ryuji was still bothered by the way he’d had to continue going to school and acting like nothing had happened after Kamoshida had ruined his track career and made him an outcast. Did Ryuji himself feel as though he had let Kamoshida walk all over him?

“…Yeah,” said Nakaoka in a huff. “I was afraid… Without Yamauchi, we still wouldn’t have a team… or a place to belong.”

Akira stared with his typical deadpan expression at the two boys in front of them. Even though Ryuji was helping them, they still only cared about themselves. How could Nakaoka talk about losing a place to belong when he had been partially responsible for taking that away from Ryuji? But his best friend barely seemed to acknowledge this.

“…You missed runnin’ that bad?” said Ryuji. Although he refused to admit it, Akira could tell that Ryuji himself missed track, missed running without the now-everpresent pain in his leg.

“Y’know… it ain’t so scary not havin’ a place you belong. You can kinda be free that way. If anything, I’m more scared of bein’ a crappy person. I mean, I used to be like you guys… afraid, lyin’ to myself… That is, before I met this dude.” Ryuji shot Akira a quick grin, giving him a quick knock on the shoulder. Even though the smile seemed a little forced in this painful conversation, Akira’s heart swelled with affection for his friend. Ryuji was so much stronger than most would acknowledge, but his actions showed he didn’t need acceptance or praise from others to continue his own growth. However, even though he knew Ryuji did not need a place to belong to be himself, Akira was so glad that the Thieves had become a place of respite for all of them. He was glad for a chance to support his friend.

“I don’t wanna insult you guys or nothin’, but I know you’re prolly real pissed about all this…” Akira wondered where Ryuji was going with this. Sure, maybe the track team members were angry, but at this point it was clear that none of this was remotely Ryuji’s fault, and they had no right to be pissed at someone who was going out of their way for the two of them for no reason other than his own sense of justice and loyalty.

“So… if you wanna hit me or something, go ahead. I’m ready.”

Akira blinked. What? He looked at his best friend for some hint that he was joking. Instead, he saw Ryuji steeling himself for a blow. He hated seeing his friend looking like that, expecting someone to hit him. He hated imagining what Ryuji must have looked like when he was being hurt by his father or injured by Kamoshida, but he couldn’t help but draw the connection. His friend had been conditioned to expect physical punishment for his mistakes, but there was no way Akira was going to stand by and let that happen.

“In that case…” said Takeishi, a slight smirk flickering over his face.

“If you insist,” said Nakaoka.

Takeishi leaned back to pack some power into his punch, but suddenly Akira was standing between him and Ryuji. He grabbed Takeishi’s arm in a flash and stopped it mid-air.

“…Are you serious?” Akira asked quietly.

“Dude, it’s cool. I said it was okay!” said Ryuji, but Akira heard a note of relief in his voice.

“I’m not okay with it,” said Akira. “Maybe you made a mistake with Kamoshida, but I don’t think so. You were being manipulated, just like them with Yamauchi. It’s unforgivable for them to blame you for mistakes they’ve also made,” he muttered, glaring at the two track team boys. “You’re helping them. No one has any right to hurt you, and I’m not going to just stand by and watch it.”

“…Akira, dude,” said Ryuji embarrassedly.

“…No, he’s right,” said Nakaoka. “Sorry, Sakamoto. You’re not even involved in this anymore and we kept dragging you back in, and even then you helped us. I’m… really sorry, for not standing by you back then.”

Takeishi stepped back, and Akira released his arm. “You’ve got good friends, Sakamoto. Better than us. I’m sorry, and I’m sorry to you too,” he said to Nakaoka. “We should just put all this behind us and try to make the track team a place to belong again.”

“For you too, Sakamoto, if you wanna come back,” added Nakaoka.

Ryuji laughed a little bit. “Nah, I think I have my hands full at the moment, and my leg’s busted anyway. But it’s cool. And… thanks for offerin’. I found a new place to belong, so you guys should have one too.”

“Hell yeah!” said Takeishi, and he and Nakaoka soon walked off, making plans for how to start practices again.

As the two other boys walked away, Ryuji looked at Akira from the corner of his eye. “You… really didn’t have to stop ‘em, y’know. It was fine, I can take it.”

“I know you can take a hit, Ryuji, we fight together all the time,” said Akira. “But you shouldn’t have to. What, you think I’m just going to stand here and watch them hit you? Is that the kind of friend you think I am?”

Ryuji laughed. “You’re a true bro, dude. And look! Now the team’s comin’ back and everything!” His bright grin made Akira smile.

“Yeah. You were cool,” said Akira.

Ryuji shook his head. “For real though, I only had the strength to say that stuff ‘cause you were standin’ right there. You push me to be my best, man. It’s kinda like I was doin’ a sprint… and you were runnin’ next to me.”

“I’ll always be here if you need me,” said Akira.

Ryuji cracked up. “So serious! Man, that stuff only sounds cool comin’ from you. You gotta tell me how you manage that some time.” He paused. “Last year sucked so bad, but with you here, things have really changed—and I don’t just mean the Phantom Thief stuff, y’know?”

“You helped me too,” said Akira quietly. “You never judged me for the stuff from before I met you.”

Ryuji just gave him a searching look. “Well, you didn’t deserve all the stuff that happened to you, dude. How was I supposed to judge you for just standin’ up for what’s right, y’know?”

“You didn’t deserve any of the stuff that happened to you either,” said Akira. “Don’t think you deserve to be hurt, okay?”

“Of course I don’t think I deserve to be hurt,” scoffed Ryuji.

“Then why are you asking people to hit you when you think they’re mad?” said Akira. Ryuji paused for a moment.

“I… just,” he said hesitantly. “I dunno. I thought it’d be a good way to take out some of the tension, I guess. Didn’t really expect them to go for it, but… sorry, man.”

“You don’t have to apologize. I just wanted to tell you… why I wouldn’t let it happen, okay? So you wouldn’t do it again.”

“Don’t worry. I learned my lesson,” joked Ryuji.

Akira reached out and held Ryuji’s shoulder. “You did good. I’m proud to be your friend, okay?”

“Aww, bro…” murmured Ryuji.

“Want ramen? I’ll pay,” said Akira.

“Sa-weet!” exclaimed Ryuji, pumping his fist in the air. “Just like the first time we hung out! You bet I’m takin’ you up on that!” He raced ahead towards the station, Akira following close behind. He’d always watch his best friend’s back, as long as he needed it.


End file.
